Detection and Assessment of Odour in Ambient Air

Detection and Assessment of Odour in Ambient Air

This is the translation and interpretation – where necessary – of the German administrative guideline on the methods of how to qualify and quantify odours in ambient air in the surroundings of odour sources. Some of the German terms had to be interpreted rather than rigidly translated because their use is more or less vague so that the exact meaning changes throughout the text, depending on the context of the German term. The most prominent example of this inevitable interpretation is the German term Immission. Emission and Immission are counterparts in German administrative language. They were derived from the Latin words emittere (literally send out) and immittere (literally send in). If transferred into English without change, emission and immission cannot be distinguished acoustically. This is why immission was strictly avoided in this translation. Instead, the term exposure seems to be the best possible solution to represent the phenomenon that is meant by the German Immission because people, animals, plants and materials are equally exposed to (air) pollution. Another example are the counterparts Belastung (literally load) and Belästigung (literally annoyance) which serve to distinguish a physical- chemical stimulus from its (potential) psychological effect. As Immission and Belastung are often used synonymously, you will also find exposure for Belastung. Last not least the German term Anlage covers industrial production plants, waste treatment plants, livestock farms and the like. In this guideline, the British term plant was preferred over the American term facility.